


Stars

by evilwriter37



Series: Febuwhump 2021 [5]
Category: DreamWorks Dragons (Cartoon), How to Train Your Dragon (Movies)
Genre: Chronic Pain, Gen, Insomnia, Sleepless nights, Stars
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-06
Updated: 2021-02-06
Packaged: 2021-03-17 03:34:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 889
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29093580
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/evilwriter37/pseuds/evilwriter37
Summary: Viggo’s only companion when he can’t sleep are the stars. Across the sea, Hiccup can’t sleep either.
Series: Febuwhump 2021 [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2134545
Comments: 11
Kudos: 23





	Stars

**Author's Note:**

> Prompt: Insomnia

Viggo tossed and turned in his bed. Laying on his right side was more comfortable than his left, given that the scars on his neck were acting up. They gave him pain from time-to-time, would probably need a massage so that some of the tissue could be broken up. But he couldn’t go to the healer now, in the middle of the night. But, he still couldn’t find sleep on his right side. He was tired, but it felt like there was a wall between him and sleep, and nothing would work to bring it down. 

Viggo sighed, got out of bed. He rubbed idly at his neck as he thought of what he could do to pass the time. Yawning, he stood, then stretched. He found his clothes in the dark. Hopefully he didn’t put them on inside out. He didn’t see the point in turning on a lantern when he was going to be going outside. 

It was the beginning of spring, but it was still cold, so Viggo grabbed a fur-lined cloak before leaving his tent. The guard just looked at him as he did so, but didn’t say anything. It was common for Viggo to leave his tent in the middle of the night.

He’d had insomnia since he was a child. His father would put him to bed, only to find him awake and wandering the house in the middle of the night. He would get mad at him, even if he tried to explain that he’d tried sleeping, but just couldn’t. Sleep felt like a task to him. He wished he didn’t need it, wished he could just go on and on without it.

But, even as much as he liked to pretend that he wasn’t, he was human. 

And there was something that all humans were a bit baffled by, something that he’d taken to studying when he couldn’t sleep: the stars. They could be used for navigation, for telling time, but also, they were simply beautiful. At first glance, it looked like the sky was simply dotted with white, but upon closer inspection, there was much more to see. Some shown brighter than others, some shown in purple or blue or red. The night sky was breathtaking, and Viggo liked to just crane his head up and stare. 

Now though, with his neck hurting, he decided to lay in the dewy grass and look up. He found a place where no one would see him, got onto his back, and stared straight up, hands folded over his stomach. 

Sometimes he smoked poppy to try to get to sleep, but he’d run out of his supply. There would be more for him with the next merchant shipment, as the merchant knew what he liked, and he paid him well. 

Viggo didn’t think much of the stars as he stared up at them this night though. He thought of a person, which was something he rarely ever did. He thought of Hiccup. Surely, wherever he was, he was sleeping right now, relaxed, safe. Viggo felt a longing for him that he’d never felt for any other person, a longing that would leave a very real ache in his chest.

There were many things he wanted from Hiccup, but sometimes, conversation was the only thing he desired. He wanted someone to talk to that would understand him, that wouldn’t look at him with blank stares, that would respond intelligently. Hiccup was that person that could do all that. If only he could talk to him now, to pass the time. 

Viggo stayed there on the grass until the dawn began to turn the sky pink. Then, he went into his tent to put on his armor and plan. Another sleepless night didn’t mean that he couldn’t perform his duties. He was used to this by now, even the times when it caused aching in his body, times like now. 

  
  


“Hiccup, did you get any sleep?” Astrid asked.

“Uh… What makes you ask?” Hiccup had thought he was performing his duties and functioning just fine.

“The shadows under your eyes,” she pointed out. 

Hiccup sighed. He couldn’t hide anything from Astrid, it would seem. He hadn’t been able to sleep, despite how tired he’d been. Instead, he’d taken Toothless for a flight, stopped on a sea stack, and just looked at the stars. He wondered if other people saw the stars the way he did, as a myriad of colors and beauty.

“Oh. That.” Hiccup set his map aside. “No, I didn’t sleep.”

“That’s the second night in a row!” Astrid cried. 

“Yeah, and you think I didn’t try?” Hiccup asked a little snidely. 

“Sorry, sorry. I just… I guess I don’t understand.”

Hiccup just nodded. That was alright. “Enough about my sleep. I was thinking about Viggo and what to do about him.” While staring at the stars. What an odd person to think about while staring at something so beautiful. He wondered if Viggo, a man who seemed to get little sleep, ever stared at those stars and thought about him. The idea should have been unnerving, but instead was a little comforting, and Hiccup couldn’t pinpoint why. Well, it was no matter. They had to do something about him, and whether Viggo lived or died, the stars would still come out again.


End file.
